Happy weekend! I didn't feel like reading through a myth and recounting the entire thing today, but I do have something for you readers. Ladies and Gents, the world's first set of laws.
No, I'm not talking about the Ten Commandments. What I've got here predates that. When doing research for the current writing project I'm working on, I stumbled across L.W. King's translation of the Code of Hammurabi (which I believe I mentioned in my "Sibling Rivalry" post on Thursday). However, since sharing the whole thing would undoubtedly put you to sleep, I'll just post my favorite bits.
You may be asking, "What does this have to do with mythology?" My answer is simple: the Gods played a fundamental role in ancient society. Every aspect of life had its own deity or force behind it. Many kings of the ancient world were also religious leaders. Temples dominated every city. Religion was omnipresent. You get the picture. Let's get on with this entry.
Here's a picture of how law and order in antiquity would have gone.
"If any one bring an accusation against a man, and the accused go to the river and leap into the river, if he sink in the river his accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river prove that the accused is not guilty, and he escape unhurt, then he who had brought the accusation shall be put to death, while he who leaped into the river shall take possession of the house that had belonged to his accuser."
"If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if it be a capital offense charged, be put to death."
"If any one steal the property of a temple or of the court, he shall be put to death, and also the one who receives the stolen thing from him shall be put to death."
"If any one buy from the son or the slave of another man, without witnesses or a contract, silver or gold, a male or female slave, an ox or a sheep, an ass or anything, or if he take it in charge, he is considered a thief and shall be put to death."
"If any one steal cattle or sheep, or an ass, or a pig or a goat, if it belong to a god or to the court, the thief shall pay thirtyfold; if they belonged to a freed man of the king he shall pay tenfold; if the thief has nothing with which to pay he shall be put to death."
"If fire break out in a house, and some one who comes to put it out cast his eye upon the property of the owner of the house, and take the property of the master of the house, he shall be thrown into that self-same fire."
"If any one "point the finger" (slander) at a sister of a god or the wife of any one, and can not prove it, this man shall be taken before the judges and his brow shall be marked. (by cutting the skin, or perhaps hair.)"
"If a man take a woman to wife, but have no intercourse with her, this woman is no wife to him."
"If the "finger is pointed" at a man's wife about another man, but she is not caught sleeping with the other man, she shall jump into the river for her husband."
"If any one be guilty of incest with his mother after his father, both shall be burned."
"If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off."
And of course...if you ever wondered where the old sayings came from...
"If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out." ("An eye for an eye.")
"If a man knock out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall be knocked out." ("A tooth for a tooth.")
Another interesting factlet about Sumerian society: Divorce was absolutely legal, apparently with no stigma attached.
"If a man wish to separate from a woman who has borne him children, or from his wife who has borne him children: then he shall give that wife her dowry, and a part of the usufruct of field, garden, and property, so that she can rear her children. When she has brought up her children, a portion of all that is given to the children, equal as that of one son, shall be given to her. She may then marry the man of her heart."
Source:
http://public.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/CODE.HTM
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